Ben Affleck Quitting Hollywood?

Is Ben Affleck quitting Hollywood? That’s the laughable claim coming from the tabloids this week. Gossip Cop can debunk the allegation.

The story in question can be found in the pages of the National Enquirer, under the headline, “Beaten Ben Quits Hollywood For Farm.” According to the article, the Oscar winner wants to “flee Tinseltown for a laid-back life.” A so-called “spy” claims to the gossip magazine that Affleck is “ready to move somewhere less stressful and far from the temptations of Hollywood.” Noting the star has been “spending time in New York,” the outlet’s supposed source maintains he’s “talking about getting a little farm upstate with a few animals.”

A number of celebrities have their own farms, but Affleck hasn’t publicly expressed any desire to purchase a ranch of his own. And while he does spend time in New York, he can typically be found in Manhattan. In fact, he and girlfriend Lindsay Shookus have an apartment in the city. What’s actually interesting about the publication’s story is that while claiming Affleck wants to move upstate, there’s no mention of Shookus being from the Buffalo area.

One might think that she could have something to do with him supposedly wanting to move to the region, yet the “SNL” producer isn’t even referenced in the article. There’s also nothing said about Affleck house hunting in Los Angeles, which he was photographed doing just last week. And the reason he’s looking for a new place in L.A., following his separation from Jennifer Garner, is precisely because he plans on still working in Hollywood and being near his kids, a mutual friend of Gossip Cop and Affleck’s confirms to us.

This false narrative, however, sounds suspiciously familiar. Last November, Jennifer Lawrence said she wanted to take an acting break and spend time on a farm. It seems the tabloid randomly decided to take that concept and apply it to Affleck. But Gossip Cop can assure you from talking to Affleck insider there’s no merit to the claims. He has no intention of giving up showbiz, or moving away from his children, who are based in L.A.

It’s also worth noting that “quitting Hollywood” allegations are a typical tabloid trope. Gossip Cop has actually busted three similar stories in the last month alone. Most recently, RadarOnline, which is the National Enquirer’s sister outlet, falsely claimed Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are quitting Hollywood and moving to the Midwest. Shortly before that, a foreign tabloid made-up a tall tale about Angelina Jolie quitting Hollywood for British politics.

And before that, Star, which is also connected to the Enquirer and Radar, peddled an untrue claim about George Clooney quitting Hollywood to become a London stage actor. Here’s a tip: If an A-list star plans to leave Hollywood and make a massive career change, the real news won’t be broken by the gossip media.